I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11: 19. NIV When my mother was in the hospital more than 14 years ago, I listened to this song over and over again. I needed the Lord’s heart beating in my heart to endure the months long trial of her illness. I needed to know His … Continue reading →
Photos from our trip to Ground Zero in 2003 It was just two years after 9/11 and the reverence of Ground Zero reverberated in the silence on the lips of passersby. Honor for those who gave their lives to save the lives of thousands. Respect for the hallowed ground where heroes were buried on that day. Prayers for the families left behind. All spoken only by the heart. Ten years have passed since terror struck our nation, vengeance … Continue reading →
I’m looking heavenward again. My eye and heart are on the sky. I catch the rainbow pushing upward and I chase it, hoping to find its source and the depth of its color. But I only see a fraction of what lies ahead. Then like a shade, a curtain of clouds are pulled across the heavens and my heart sinks. The hope of seeing the rainbow in its glory is fading. Only darkness remains. I snap the cover … Continue reading →
Delicate purple flowers adorn our streets again as August blasts its torrid heat against our skin. Blistering temperatures, suffocating heat boils the air encased in one’s car. Windows rolled down, air-conditioning running full tilt to blow out the stifling contents, I pull out of the school’s parking lot and head for home. Then I see the desert bushes beckoning with their purple August dance. As intense as the sun that scorches one’s face like an oven, these purple … Continue reading →
Tucked between the bed and nightstand, I braced myself for what lay ahead in my morning devotions. Would there be more doubts and struggles or would I find the rest and peace I longed for? The darkness had engulfed me for months but the Lord was re-revealing Himself to me, Scripture by Scripture; whisper by whisper. I clung to the words I already knew He had infused into my weary spirit. Each morning I read those words I had … Continue reading →
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:21 NIV First sight is a spray that rises into the air. Then it curves its back, ready to dive. The tail scoops water as it slices air and sea. This great creature of God’s design … Continue reading →
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16a NIV Have you ever been around Christians who draw you in just by their … Continue reading →
Alaskan Sunset over the Pacific, on the ocean between Glacier Bay and Seward “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11b NIV When we strolled out on the ship’s deck around 10:30 p.m., seeing the ball of orange setting into the Western horizon was a favor indeed. Most days were wrapped in clouds blowing brisk winds … Continue reading →
Glacier Bay, Alaska The thermometer is sizzling at 113 degrees and the coolest place in the desert is the freezer section of the grocery store. I walk out into the night heat of 97 degrees thinking perhaps it should be nighttime for three months in the summer desert instead of dark for three months in the Alaskan winter. Waterfall into Mendenhall Glacier What would it be like strolling the dimly lit streets of northern Alaska in frigid … Continue reading →
Denali, “the High One,” capped in glacial white. Known today as Mt. McKinley. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 NIV It was our 35th anniversary and the mountains were replete with forest green pines and shimmering aspens. Our hearts warmed with joy and memories. As we stood on the … Continue reading →
